Linux Top 3: Linux 3.10 and GNOME 3.10 Updates Near

June 24, 2013

By
Sean Michael Kerner

Open source releases rarely align in terms of numbering. This week however on the Linux Planet sees a very interesting coincidence around the number 3.10.

GNOME 3.9.3

GNOME developers continue to be very busy building out the next big version of the open source GNOME desktop. Currently that development is at that GNOME 3.9.3 stage which is work that will enter general availability as GNOME 3.10

"GNOME 3.9 development is now going smoothly, we have a set of features defined and people actively working to implement them," the GNOME 3.9.3 release notes states.

There are a lot of interesting features that are likely to land in the final 3.10 release including the integration of flickr for photos and Git for developers.

There is also work ongoing to port GNOME to the Wayland Window System instead of X, thought that is a multi-step and complicated process that will not be entirely complete in the 3.10 timeframe.

Linux 3.10 RC 7

Linux kernel developers continue to push forward on the Linux 3.10 kernel, which by some accounts could the largest kernel release ever. The first set of release candidates had Linus Torvalds a bit upset on the size, but with the latest RC 7 update, the release is now moving in the right direction.

"So this is hopefully the last -rc in the series, and things have indeed be calming down finally, so assuming that trend continues, we're all good," Torvalds wrote in his mailing list announcement for Linux 3.10 RC 7.

Linux Mint

The latest new spin on Linux Mint 15 was release this past week with the KDE version. The KDE release is based on the latest KDE 4.10 update and is otherwise the same basic release that GNOME users have enjoyed for the last month.

Looking forward, Linux Mint founder Clement Lefebrvre announced that Linux Min 16 will be named 'Petra'.

"Petra, “πέτρα” in Greek, means stone or rock. It is a common name in Germany, Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic," Lefebvre wrote.